Holistic therapy, often confused with alternative medicine, is a practice in which the professional or professionals leading treatment focus on every aspect of a person’s health and well-being and not just the principal diagnosis. While alternative medicine is simply seeking treatments that are out of the mainstream, the holistic approach is about a well-rounded set of treatments for the whole individual, something which benefits substance use disorder clients greatly by taking their body, mind, spiritual beliefs, and feelings into consideration.

Holistic treatment for drug addiction seeks to bring together all aspects of life and help you or your struggling loved one find long-lasting recovery and happiness beyond simply a cure. This can include incorporating yoga and meditation into your daily routine, working on past trauma and self-esteem, and learning new healthy habits that can transform your body and mind.

While the practice of holistic therapy regarding substance use may seem like a new concept, it has been researched extensively since the early 2000s in multiple countries. The reason for its unique effectiveness for long-lasting results is that the practice recognizes how those who struggle with substance use disorders may also deal with more mental health and physical illnesses compared to the rest of the population. Holistic therapy dives into the reasons substance use might occur and helps you, the client, understand yourself and your needs better.

What Is Holistic Therapy and Treatment?

In general, holistic treatment is as simple as looking at what a whole person needs in order to get better overall rather than zooming in on one part like a disease or symptom. Teams of experts put their heads together to look for root causes and to create a plan of care involving multiple facets of a person’s life.

Traditional Western therapies are based on a rigorous set of rules taught to a practitioner. Each client is treated exactly the same regardless of any other medical, mental health, or personal history. It often doesn’t take into account the lifestyle of the client in need or their co-morbidities, which are those ailments, both mental and physical, that often come along with substance use disorder. Holistic therapy considers all factors that may be involved with a person’s substance use and creates individualized treatments for each person.

What Are Some Holistic Therapy Types?

Holistic drug addiction treatment can involve multiple types of mind, body, and spirit work, and a holistic addiction treatment center can offer many methods for clients to improve in these areas. This includes meditation, yoga, and fitness therapy. Wilderness or adventure therapy can be productive as well. Connecting with nature is a valuable part of holistic treatment for some clients with alcohol or drug addictions.

Meditation

Meditation is often depicted a certain way to the mainstream. It’s not just making strange noises and trying to clear your head of all thoughts. Instead, think of meditation as a way of connecting with yourself again.

As a person struggling with addiction, you may find yourself walking through life in survival mode, barely noticing the people around you and possibly hurting them unintentionally. This may be because you have been focused on hiding your substance use while keeping up appearances. This may have led to a lack of connection with others and with yourself, causing you to lose sight of who you really are in the shuffle. This unfortunate situation is easy to continue if you do not address how to handle the feelings of loneliness and fear you may have.

Meditation is a form of self-reflection that can help you connect to yourself and the world around you once more. It can help you rediscover deep-rooted values and talents you have forgotten. Meditation techniques can also help you reflect on past behaviors and patterns that have led to both problems and successes in your life. As part of a holistic treatment program, it can be a wonderful healing experience.

Yoga

Substance use is a complex issue, affecting every aspect of your life, and can even stem from underlying emotional and physical ailments. Building healthy habits, both mentally and physically, is a crucial piece of recovery, and holistic addiction recovery treatment takes that seriously. Yoga is one of the main offerings in many holistic treatment programs, and it isn’t just for the physically fit. For instance, Restorative Yoga focuses on thoughtfulness and relaxation. The movements are slow, and the positions are only held until they become uncomfortable. This type of exercise can help people in recovery realize that difficult things are possible with enough practice, even achieving a sober lifestyle.

Alternatively, Buti, Piyo, and Aerial yoga have been developed by fitness enthusiasts. This type is popular among people who are motivated by physical challenges. During holistic therapy, more active styles of yoga can give clients a sense of achievement and self-confidence.

No matter what type of yoga you practice during treatment, it can help you find peace of mind in times of stress. In addition, continued practice can keep the body strong and resilient for years to come while building new healthy habits in place of old routines.

Fitness Therapy

Substance use disorder is not only a disease of the spirit and mind but also of the body. Over time, substance use, as well as mental illness, can lead to neglect of proper hygiene and nutrition. Holistic therapy providers care about helping you or your loved one find health and balance, even if you’ve never learned how to embrace a healthy lifestyle in the past.

Holistic therapy addresses fitness and wellness by starting with a medical detox. Afterward, treatment plans involve:

• Nutrition and weight management
• Exercise routines
• Pain management
• Vitamin deficiency recovery
• Establishing healthy sleep patterns

Wilderness Therapy

Wilderness therapy, sometimes also called adventure therapy, while experimental, is gaining traction as a type of addiction recovery treatment. This type of therapy has the goal of motivating participants to challenge their personal beliefs and skewed thinking, which has come from past traumas, mental illness, and drug or alcohol use, by putting them into situations they would usually not encounter.

Not meant to be dangerous or painful, many of these activities seek to involve quiet reflection, communication, and relying on others in a way clients have not in the past. It also challenges individuals to use parts of their brains that have laid dormant while occupied mostly by thoughts of their substance of choice. Some common activities within wilderness therapy can include:

• Hiking
• Camping
• Farming
• Zip-lining
• Outdoor obstacle courses
• Leaning outdoor survival skills

In particular, those who have faced struggles with traditional treatment may find solace in an approach that deviates entirely from the norm. It can be seen as a break from talking about their problems and mistakes and instead getting back to themselves and nature.

Benefits of Holistic Therapy

Though society overlooks it all too often, mental health deals with your emotional, psychological, and social well-being overall. A person’s mental health is seriously impacted by substance use disorder but may have already been lacking before. A full recovery requires addressing underlying problems; otherwise, neglected mental health can lead to:

• Estrangement from loved ones
• Poor physical health
• Problem maintaining a meaningful career
• Low quality of life

The above can easily put you back into the cycle of addiction. This is why the holistic approach is built around all aspects of well-being to prevent relapse, help with every stage of recovery, including withdrawal, and address those internal issues that led to the original substance use in the first place. Holistic therapy emphasizes boosting self-esteem, reducing stress, and helping clients navigate treatment while preparing clients for what happens after they leave.

Boosting Self-Esteem

There have been many studies about self-esteem and negative outcomes, and they have shown that long periods of low self-esteem can contribute to severe issues, including developing substance use disorders. Using techniques such as mindfulness and meditation on top of traditional therapies, many clients engaging in holistic treatment start to feel differently about themselves. They are able to stop thinking of themselves as people who made bad choices and are hopeless. Instead, they consider themselves individuals deserving of love and good health.

Reducing Stress

Chronic stress is much more prevalent among those with substance use disorders. It is also a risk factor for developing a substance disorder in the first place. Stressors are unfortunate parts of everyday life, and if you or your loved one is facing addiction, then social issues, financial problems, and health scares compound stress. Past traumas that cause stress are also more likely to affect those who end up in the addiction cycle.

Part of a person’s recovery plan has to include learning to deal with life’s stressors in a healthy way. Holistic therapy teaches you things like setting boundaries and finding those things that make you happy. During a program, you can also develop newfound emotional intelligence and coping skills to let go of things you have no control over.

Creating a Healthy Habits

Everything about addiction recovery at a holistic treatment center is about moving forward with positivity and building a new life you can love but, most importantly, stick to. The word “habits” may have a negative connotation in some circles, but habits are what make up every day of people’s lives. Routines can help you make good choices and mitigate feelings of boredom, isolation, and stress that may put you back in an addictive mindset.

While it is not easy to rebuild your life from scratch, staff at holistic treatment centers help you build new, healthy habits one simple step at a time. Self-care is a key component to addiction recovery. Eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and taking time to care for yourself are all lessons that you can learn from a holistic therapy approach.

Holistic Addiction Treatment

Holistic treatment has a unique role in the addiction recovery industry. This revolutionary approach can help you lower stress during treatment, heal from emotional issues you may have dealt with all your life, and spiritually ground yourself.

Holistic Addiction Treatment in New Hampshire

If you or your loved one is seeking a compassionate, whole-person approach to addiction treatment, look no further than our comprehensive program at Granite Recovery Centers. You can rest assured you’ll be in good hands. We will help you find ways to cope with your new life, love yourself, and understand all that led you here while showing you the positive impact you can have on yourself and those around you. From holding your hand through the toughest parts of withdrawal to introducing you to our 12-step therapeutic approach, we can be invaluable on your road to recovery. Feel free to give us a call or take a tour of our center in New Hampshire to find out how our holistic treatment can help you or your struggling family member heal from addiction for good.